The present invention relates in general to methods and apparatus for the measurement of dielectric properties and in particular to methods and apparatus for the measurement of dielectric properties of core samples encountered in petroleum exploration.
The recent advent of a dielectric well logging technique in petroleum exploration has necessitated laboratory measurement of the dielectric permittivity of core samples in the same way that resistivity and induction logging techniques necessitated laboratory measurement of the conductivity of core samples. Known techniques of laboratory dielectric permittivity measurements in the VHF (30-300 MHz) and the UHF (300-1000 MHz) ranges (roughly covering the 20-1100 MHz range of frequencies of interest in dielectric well logging) require solid samples to be precision-machined to fit sample accommodators having precise dimensions. However, may types of core samples do not readily lend themselves to such machining.